Anyone else here a minimalist that prefers to use old gear as long as possible before replacing it or buying something extra? Reading Modern Drummer, one gets the impression that drummers are all rich and super materialistic. But even in my life outside of drumming, I have very few possessions, and I'm currently looking to throw out or donate even more of them.

When it comes to drums, I think a combination of my minimalism and frugality is the deciding factor in my gear. My current set up is a Pearl Rhythm Traveler kit with the original heads and hihats, plus a Tama (?) piccolo snare from 13+ years ago, a Sabian El Sabador 16" crash that I also use as a ride, and a DW 5000 double pedal that must be 20+ years old. My old set up before I moved to a different country was an 18" Tama floor tom converted into a bass drum, random stands and hardware, old K custom dark 13" hihats, the same El Sabador crash, and a no-brand ride I picked up for $20 at a yardsale. These set ups get the job done and have more character to me.

I would not say Iím a minimalist. I would say Iíve gone through years and years (20+) of purchasing nothing more than sticks, heads and one or two method books. Happy to say Iím back at that point.

After that 20+ years of almost nothing, I did open up the purchasing where I turned over almost all of my gear over the course of about 5 years. My setup is now is different than before. The largest search was in cymbals. Went through tons of them over that time. Sold many off and settled on what I have.

I consider myself back to a point of total contentment. At my age itís a good thing. If it happens again in 20+ years from now, I wonít have enough resources in time left or money to want - or be able - to do anything about it.

I envy you! I follow way more into the Gear Acquisition Syndrome category. Although, I'm a minimalist in other aspects of life.

Shopping for and trying out new gear gives me a rush, however, it's a distraction from practicing. New gear never makes me sound or play better, just is something different to play with. Every time I buy a kit I say it's going to be my last one, and then I find something wrong with it!

I am currently very happy with my cymbals and have been trying to be content with my drums, as they do the job.

Minimalism is the way to be, as "Stuff" is a distraction, hassle and causes stress!

Minimalism is the way to be, as "Stuff" is a distraction, hassle and causes stress![/quote]

I absolutely agree that stuff is a distraction - often I find myself in the middle of practicing, say, paradiddles around the kit and wondering how another crash or ride would sound, stopping what I'm doing to replace for no need or reason at all. I'm a gear hoarder. And I'm ADHD. And I'm compulsive. It's a bad combination. I need help.

Minimalism is the way to be, as "Stuff" is a distraction, hassle and causes stress!

I absolutely agree that stuff is a distraction - often I find myself in the middle of practicing, say, paradiddles around the kit and wondering how another crash or ride would sound, stopping what I'm doing to replace for no need or reason at all. I'm a gear hoarder. And I'm ADHD. And I'm compulsive. It's a bad combination. I need help.[/quote]

We're in the same boat brother. I'm ADHD as well.

One thing I did was finally get exactly what I wanted, that way it would be easier to stick with. Not just something "cool" or that was a "good deal." I'm trying to schedule practice time and have banned myself from browsing the web for gear I don't need. If I do need something. I limit the time I can spend trying to find it.

I definitely lean towards minimalism, but it doesn't always work out. I had planned on keeping one 4-piece kit and that's it. However, minimalism in other areas of my life changed that, ironically. I live in a small house, and there's basically no space to keep a full-sized kit set up, plus I gave up my car some years back. So I had to get a smaller kit that I could squeeze into a small space in the house for practice, and easily transport in a cab for gigs (possibly even on a bike trailer). I built a little kit based on the Pearl Rhythm Traveler and it gets the most use now. My primary kit sits in bags in a closet most of the time. I'm keeping it for recording opportunities or bigger shows.

I'm a beginner living in a city apartment so I'm stuck on an electronic kit and therefore can't have GAS with drums. All I have is a few sticks, a few books, and a standard Roland e kit. I could do with positional sensing and a better hi hat and ride, but in reality I should work on playing musically for a few years before worrying that I can't play a ride bell at home.

Also I'm kinda OCD but also super lazy. So if there are say, 10 things I would like to have, I am too lazy to research online, I don't want less than the best deal, so I may buy 1 of those 10 things sometime in the coming year or two.

My primary hobby is road bicycle racing. It seems the majority of "us" have old bikes, rain bikes, training bikes, racing bikes, maybe a gravel bike or a track bike or a 'cross bike. Multiple sets of wheels, fancy helmets, fancy kits. A lot of this (fancy kits, fancy wheels) actually do improve speed. But I'm just so ridiculously lazy when it comes to buying "stuff".

Still, although I almost never buy stuff, it's even rarer that I get rid of stuff. I see a bit of value in everything, and therefore don't want to put anything in the landfill. But again, I'm too lazy to go through old stuff and drive it to Goodwill. Or to post used bike parts online.

I still have the first guitar I got when I was a kid, think of it as a "her" and would have a hard time giving it up or selling... And I don't even play much guitar. My drums and cymbals are similar... I like my own personal cymbal set so much, which is made up of old 60's-70's-80's zils.

The drums I'm a bit less weird about since I don't have a "perfect" set yet and I'll likely buy another kit at some point to be my "final"... But in theory once I have that I will keep it till it breaks.

I'd pretty much have anthing I'd ever want if not for some unfortunate exeriences. This means lack of funds, but I've known for a long time what I wanted. Basically full pack of USA Custom and Broadkaster.

I bought a lot of snares for a while, but that was intentional. I knew what options I wanted and I pretty much have that.

I'd like som nicer recording gear, but I'll wait with that until I have a room to justify it.

As for my setup right now, it is a 4-piece, ride and 1 crash quite intentionally for practice. Apart from doing the "jazz-thing" there is a sort of long term plan to slowly adding stuff over time.

Personally i couldnt care less about the newest drums, etc.. I also couldnt care less about discussing drumgear or if someone has a 100 dollar set or a 10.000 dollar set or 1 cymbal or 100 cymbals or if someone is able to tune a set perfect or any of such things..

The only thing i care about is how someone plays..I prefer way more to look a few hours to an awesome drummer on a very crappy set instead of looking even 1 minute to a bad drummer on a very expensive well-tuned set (simply because that drummer will not be able to make that set sound nice anyway..)..

An awesome drummer on a crappy set will always sound better than a bad drummer on a very expensive set..

Been a minimalist setup player for years I got told young if you can't do it on a 4/5 piece you won't do it at all.

There's something really satisfying about getting the most out of a basic setup.

My problems is having a unit to store gear so over the years I have acquired 5 kits, 6 snares and loads of cymbals which have come from upgrading over the years and not breaking any. I'm lucky I only play with hats/ride/x2 crash otherwise it could get very messy :)

It's just heads and sticks that are the constant purchases. I'm lucky with sticks as Pellwood sort me out with 16 pairs at a time for £70. Custom sticks to order. Hopefully they get my surname right next time I order!

I have the same rant factor with Modern Drummer/Rhythm etc. The gear reviews are annoying at best, most of it is reinventions of the wheel at an extortionate cost.

I bought a Tama Swingstar five-piece in 1985 with money I saved from my summer job as a caddy. I think I replaced a throne and added a cymbal a few years later. Those were my only gear purchases until I had some gear stolen and bought new everything in 2010 and 2011. So, yeah, I guess I was pretty much like you. But I've kind of made up for lost time the past seven or eight years.

Anyone else here a minimalist that prefers to use old gear as long as possible before replacing it or buying something extra?

I'm all about "the right tools for the job" and "buy once, cry once."

I buy what I need to make playing drums and hauling PA gear as painless as possible. As I have gotten older older, my back has started plotting against me, so the less I carry, the better.

I have multiple drum sets and each one serves a specific purpose.

I have a Pork Pie USA set a church that never gets moved.

I have a set of old Tama Rockstars in my basement that never gets moved. I'm thinking about upgrading because it sounds pretty darn terrible in all honesty now that I'm more used to better drums.

I have a set of Ludwig Centennials that's my "beater" kit (although it's a super-nice beater kit in my book!). This has a 20" kick in bags and is easy to carry. This kit is for my outdoor shows where we are probably uncovered or there may be a chance of rain. Also, there's one festival we play where I have to show up about 6:45am and drop my stuff off and leave it there until the afternoon. Where I set up, tear it down, and then leave it there until I can pick it up later. It's a great kit for things like this.

I have a Pork Pie USA in hard cases that I take to better, indoor gigs. The Ludwig kit and the travel PP kit share hardware and cymbals. In addition, my practice kit in addition to my kits at home all share cymbals.

If I simply played in my basement and didn't ever play anywhere else, I'd have one drum set. My desire to acquire comes out of convenience more than a "gotta have the latest, greatest whatever" feeling.

Guilty here of being a pack rat. We're not hoarders but we definitely need to get rid of "stuff". I have 1 drum set set up to practice on, and 2 more in playing condition stored in a closet with 2 more kits I need to either re-wrap or just get rid of. It's nuts.

If I buy anything new it is drum sticks and heads. I recently purchased the Remo Silent Stroke drum heads so I could get away from rubber drum mutes. I see used or new drum sets I really like and have the money to get but then common sense wins over and I don't buy because I don't need another drum kit.

And then I go over to a friend's house and see 20 guitars hanging on a wall....

I have a fair amount of stuff ( 3 kits, 6 snares ) but I'm selling one kit and one or two snares. My set up is pretty straight forward in that I only use 1 ride, 2 crashes and hats. Kit set up is 2 up one down for the most part. I can go two floors with the Black Panther kit.

Anyone else here a minimalist that prefers to use old gear as long as possible before replacing it or buying something extra?

nope.

Not so sound like a jerk, but I would never go one stage with the setup you have. Its not about being materialistic, its about having the right tool for the job. I have been playing guitar and drums in bands for 30 years, and I will tell you gear matters. If you showed up with your set-up and tried out for my band you would lose the gig before you ever played a note. That being said, the same is true of the guy who shows up with a $5K DW set with 20 cymbals. Your gear choices say soooo much about you as a person, and in a band environment those choices can speak louder than words.

Quick story, my last band was auditioning a second guitarist. One guy showed up with an Epiphone and a old Marshall. The guy was good and had a great personality so we brought him onboard. Fast forward a couple months and he is constantly asking for rides and not paying his part of the rehearsal space fees. When we finally let him go the bassist looked at us and "should have kicked him out when he showed up with the Epiphone". Gear matters!

Since I've become an "old fart", the dollars and desire to constantly update have dropped off. I play in a fairly busy blues band in southwestern Ontario. We play bars, municipal events and blues festivals many with dinky stages. I've gone from 6 piece kits (Mapex Saturn, Pearl Masters Custom, Rogers with double bass drums) to a Sonor Players kit. What I used to call my 7 Sabians of Sin are now whittled down to a ride & 2 crashes. I recently sold the snares that I no longer used as well as an assortment of pedals that were gathering dust in my basement. I am fortunate that both practice locations have drums set up (an old Ludwig kit & a Fibes kit) so I only have to cart my kit to gigs. The Sonor kit is light and takes all of 15 minutes to set up or tear down and it sounds great miced or unmiced. As everyone else does, I swapped out the stock heads, put the stock snare on a shelf and replaced it with my Pork Pie 13x7. I chose this kit based on some of the comments on this site which I was lurking on for years. I finally joined! I still buy the drum mags and drool over some of the new gear but as other posters have said: it's not what you play it's how you play. I've been drumming for almost 50 years (YIKES!) and have learned over the years that finesse and dynamics are learned over time and the number of drums or cymbals in my kit are irrelevant. BTW this is the greatest site for tips, impressions, etc.

That story tells much more about his personality than about his guitar being cheap or not..

When i was in a very well-paying coverband we had auditions for a new bass player..The guy that we took showed up at the audition with a 2000 dollar bass guitar and told us nothing would be a problem..He was not having own transport but this would never be a problem and he would always be able to come to the shows himself..

First show that we had with him, i got a call in the afternoon, if i maybe could come pick him up..I said no..

If i would show up at your bands audition and the first thing would be that they start to bug me about my gear, i would turn around and i myself would not even consider to play that one note..

I wouldn't say I'm a minimalist, but I go in fits and starts with gear.

My 'A' kit has been static for 3 or 4 years. I started a new project this year, so I replaced a couple of cymbals, changed the configuration around, and added a sample pad.

My 'B' kit is getting a makeover right now. This is my basic no-nonsense workhorse kit. I added a tom tree on the bass drum, the floating floor tom is getting legs later this week, and I ordered new lightweight Tama stands to replace the heavy Pearl hardware I've been using the past 8 or so years. When some of my old stuff sells, I'll buy some new (used) crash cymbals for it as well.

I recently upgraded and condensed my live and recording rig too, but that was as much about necessity as it was convenience and future proofing.

Not so sound like a jerk, but I would never go one stage with the setup you have. Its not about being materialistic, its about having the right tool for the job. I have been playing guitar and drums in bands for 30 years, and I will tell you gear matters. If you showed up with your set-up and tried out for my band you would lose the gig before you ever played a note. That being said, the same is true of the guy who shows up with a $5K DW set with 20 cymbals. Your gear choices say soooo much about you as a person, and in a band environment those choices can speak louder than words.

Quick story, my last band was auditioning a second guitarist. One guy showed up with an Epiphone and a old Marshall. The guy was good and had a great personality so we brought him onboard. Fast forward a couple months and he is constantly asking for rides and not paying his part of the rehearsal space fees. When we finally let him go the bassist looked at us and "should have kicked him out when he showed up with the Epiphone". Gear matters!

Confession: At first read, I was seriously judging you because of what you wrote. And for that I ask for your forgiveness.

But you know what? I got to thinking about it...I don't think I've ever run into an amazing player and overall good guy (or gal) that played on crummy equipment. Believe me, I've HEARD great musicians play on crummy instruments; however, I've never played with anyone who was a really great who actually owned sub-par equipment only. On the flip side, I've never heard anyone who owned pro gear who was a terrible player. Granted, some of them had God-awful attitudes, but they were good players.

I know that y'all have boatloads of exceptions out there. You all have to keep in mind that I'm a musician in a small town, and I don't get out much. :)

I'm all for no spending money unnecessarily, and also all for not being a gear snob.

But a Pearl Rhythm Traveller, while a fun, easily portable kit, is not minimalism. It is the step before, from which you need to increase your spend in order to reach minimalism. I have a Rhythm Traveller. It's surprisingly loud, and having no reso heads, the tone is very one dimensional...one-sided you might say. Badum-tssss!

The cymbals that come with the kit are woeful. Even as a practice kit, they are simply inadequate.

I'll repeat - I own one, and as an easily moved practice kit, it's great. As a subsitute for a 'real' kit? Not so much.

Now, as for writing somebody off for showing up with an Epiphone...really? Later this evening I will be the guy showing up with an Epiphone at a band practice. I will be no worse, but sadly also no better a guitarist than on those occasions when I show up with a Fender.

Beyond a certain, very basic point, it's about the Indian, not the arrow!

Now, as for writing somebody off for showing up with an Epiphone...really? Later this evening I will be the guy showing up with an Epiphone at a band practice. I will be no worse, but sadly also no better a guitarist than on those occasions when I show up with a Fender.

To totally backtrack again, one of our guitar players plays an Epiphone Les Paul and has a little Boss Katana amp, and the guy is an absolute killer player and one of the nicest people you'll ever meet.

Not to totally derail the thread, if I were to buy a "players" guitar, I'd find the cheapest Les Paul Epiphone that can actually be set up to have good intonation, with a straight neck and decent frets, and I'd buy a really nice set of pickups to put in it with good tuners. Why? Because the Gibson Les Paul, while a great guitar, is flawed by design, and they won't change the design due to tradition (this is my opinion). If you want to do some interesting reading today, go Google "Les Paul won't stay in tune." The break-angle of the neck is sort of wonky by design. Epiphones aren't. (This is controversial, and probably doesn't even belong on this board or even this forum; however, I thought it would be fun to bring up for those gear heads who are interested in this sort of thing.)

Ok, back to the discussion about minimalist drum equipment and philosophy! :)

Also not to derail, but I actually kind of agree with Eclipse's post, except that there are some great Epiphone guitars. John Lennon played one. So no writing those off. I'm all for minimalism but you need some baseline kit that sounds good.

I'm probably the epitome of materialism. In that I've probably owned the top of the line of every major brand, but the irony is that I've only played 4-piece configurations successfully ;)

TBH - I love drums and owning and playing them, and before I die I'd like to know I at least tried most of them to at least have an opinion on what I like, but I don't apply that to everything in my life. OTOH, being poor is so over-rated. When I hear about people who are minimalist because of their station in life, rather than by choice, I sympathize, I really do. But why not better your place in life and not be poor? Then you can try the more expensive nicer things, and then really make a statement about your minimalism because you've tried everything and really do enjoy having nothing.

I get that most musicians are artists and due to that, have to live like artists in order to make ends meet. I've eschewed that whole idea and have a comfortable career and I pursue playing the drums. I figured out how to do it, I'm sure everybody else can.

So I guess my question is, are you a minimalist because you want to be? Or because you just don't have a choice? Those are two different things.

I have a great job, but I also have a big family and my wife does not work, so money for my hobby is pretty much a non-starter. When I resumed playing a couple of years ago after decades away, I replaced the bass drum pedal and hi-hat stand with used ones for $50 each. I think both were Christmas/Birthday presents.

Fortunately I've never had the luxury of GAS. If I ever do find myself with debts paid and money to spare, a nice little set of Yamaha Stage Customs in natural finish and a better ride cymbal would probably satisfy my ambitions. Maybe throw in a set of roto-toms for nostalgia. I think they're great bang for the buck.

So I guess I'm minimalist by inclination and necessity

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Returned after 30 years. Now playing Gospel/Worship and Concert Band stuff - Big Band next?

Epiphone made great guitars until they were bought by Gibson who chose to use their name for their budget line.

The "real" Gibson has been plagued by quality issues for a long while and is right now in real trouble.

I've never been a collector of gear. As a guitar player I got rid of most of my stuff a long time ago. The days of huge rigs are over and you get so much good stuff in small packages now that it's not really necessary. It also makes both your back and your bandmates happy. I'm doing a small change right now, but my pedal board hasn't really changed in 17 years.

Now as a "drummer" if you play more than just a typical drumset, the percussion stuff can start adding up a bit. It's not GAS, you sorta either have that particular instrument or you don't.

So I guess my question is, are you a minimalist because you want to be? Or because you just don't have a choice? Those are two different things.

Great point. I'm a little of both. Back when I had a nice-paying job, I would go into the music store and look at drums and cymbals, but I'd ask myself, "Do I really need this stuff? Is it really worth the expense?" The answer was always "no." Except for a new ride and new hats, everything else suits my needs. I used to buy/sell gear a lot when I was younger, and over the years, I realized I'd rather spend money on better food and whatnot than new gear. Lol.

I should also mention that I live in a tiny apartment with 3 other people in Hong Kong and my bedroom is about 50-60 square feet. So, I don't have any place to put new gear, even if I was making triple what I make now.

Great point. I'm a little of both. Back when I had a nice-paying job, I would go into the music store and look at drums and cymbals, but I'd ask myself, "Do I really need this stuff? Is it really worth the expense?" The answer was always "no." Except for a new ride and new hats, everything else suits my needs. I used to buy/sell gear a lot when I was younger, and over the years, I realized I'd rather spend money on better food and whatnot than new gear. Lol.

I should also mention that I live in a tiny apartment with 3 other people in Hong Kong and my bedroom is about 50-60 square feet. So, I don't have any place to put new gear, even if I was making triple what I make now.

I've owned a house now for the last 15 years so it's nice if I find something that I've always wanted, I can buy it and put it somewhere before I get around to using it.

But everybody's needs are different. I try to work with my gear (my music career started when I was 20 with Disney), so a lot of what I buy is work-related. I have been in those situations where a different snare drum is needed for certain projects. Or maybe you know that if you play in a 1940s big swing band, your modern-looking Yamaha Recording Custom kit just won't fit the bill. Same thing with cymbals - you have to have the right sound for what you're doing, music-wise. So in a way, you could say I'm being minimalist because I don't own hundreds of cymbals or hundreds of drums, but I have two sets of cymbals and maybe three sets of drums. Career-wise, I don't think it's wise to have just one of something - even if you're out playing live, you need a spare in case something breaks.

Being minimalist is different for different people. If you don't do a lot of work, having just one of what you need is good enough. If you don't have any space, having less is even better. People would say Charlie Watts is a minimalist because he's been playing the same kit and cymbals with the Stones for at least 40 years now. In reality, he collects kits and probably has at least a few ;)

I purged my G.A.S. when I bought a lot of shells and parts from an estate sale. My studio was PA-ACKED with more equipment than I'd ever know what to do with.
Eventually, I whittled it all down to what I could sell, keep for myself or give away.
Now I own only what I use & have enough spare parts to fix what breaks.
Besides...new stuff is too expensive for me now anyway...;-)

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"You're never fired, you're just not asked to do the next thing". -Liberty DeVitto

Is it the same as more is less and less is more kinda of question or I'm off topic =P. I think minimalist is like they are interested in new gears but they always have that one question in mind. Do I need it? and if they need it "what should I replace from my kit to make it sound better". its like when is enough if enough that drummer can be satisfied while playing drums =) Their are alot of drummers here that have small kits and they only buy minimal gears. But they do have money to buy gears its just that they don't buy them. But they only buy what is essential. and their are the those with big kits that they buy and buy then some of the gears just stay in the closet =( For me minimalist is kinda picky eater =)